Demonstration
We are team lightning bolt and we will be presenting a solution that alleviates our chosen modern day problem - depression caused by excessive use of social media. Our solution is our mobile application called ‘Smile’, which is suited mainly for users who have depression from social media, and people at risk of developing it.
This application was created beginning with research on what is depression, what are the causes of depression and how depression can be addressed. We came to the conclusion that one driver of depression was social media. High use of social media affects day to day interactions with people and creates illusions of overinflated perceptions, leading to low self esteem.
This application centers around a journal, allowing users to let their feelings out by expressing their thoughts and daily moods. Multiple optional themes are offered for an entry, including a simple diary-style entry, a reflection on a particular social media post for more targeted expression, and a challenge mode to improve engagement.
Other features include a graph to track the user’s mood over time; according to our research, we believe tracking this would be helpful for our users to make informative health decisions and manage their lifestyle. Also included is information for mental support groups, where users can access contact information to ask for mental help or treatment.
Further development of the application will feature a GPS system where users can view support groups in their nearby area, and a way to share journal entries to close friends and groups - by expressing their thoughts and feelings to each other, this will help to make them feel more comfortable with expressing themselves in public, leading to improved self-esteem.
Prototype 3 link ____
Prototype images: